Balance Beam
by Sugar Waffle
Summary: And no matter how many times the day is saved, things will never change.


**Author's Note**: Ha. Ha ha ha. Haaaa. You all probably forgot who I am by now, I think. But um, yes, this is the first real fic I've written since, well, the last thing I posted here. So I'm _really_ sorry of how awful it is. orz B-but at least I'm... sorta back into writing again?! I really did miss it, and hopefully I'll start doing it more often again. Now here's the result of writing at 1 AM sooo.

* * *

Kairi shifted slightly, running her hands through her hair in an attempt to tame it; it was in a disarray after she had ran six blocks to reach the red two story house.The phone call she had just received was still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't conceal the look of anxiety on her face as she rang the doorbell. 

A flash of silver appeared as the door opened. The boy who stood on the other side–Riku–blinked before letting a small smile form on his lips. Moving aside, he let her in.

The gesture helped calm Kairi down. "Is he okay?"

He nodded, shutting the door behind them. The living room was cramped, filled with chests and random artifacts from distant lands across the universe. The two had often joked with Sora that he could set up a store with all the junk he collected. The most noticeable aspect was the mountain of letters, which sat on the coffee table and seemed to tower over the surrounding furniture. Every one was sent from friends–and in some cases, even foe–by a bottle.

Kairi, however, ignored this and followed her friend through the room. From the slow pace he was taking, it was obvious that nothing too serious had occurred. Still, she desperately wanted to know exactly what had happened.

Riku paused at a doorway. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he rolled his eyes. "He was helping Tidus clean out his attic. It figures that he can save hundreds of worlds and battle against dragons without a problem, but a ten foot fall breaks his leg."

The redhead let out a sigh of relief–a broken leg will mend in time; it was nothing life changing. "At least now he can concentrate on his homework. The two of you are already behind as it is, and it doesn't help that he's–"

"You sound like that Olette girl," he interjected. "Anyway, you should probably go see him before Donald and Goofy call. That transmitter Cid made is useful, but they sure like abusing it."

Nodding, she pushed open the door and quietly stepped inside. Sora slept peacefully on his bed, his face twitching slightly whenever his injured leg moved into a position that was uncomfortable–the pain meds must have really knocked him out. Kairi sat on the edge of his mattress and sighed.

"You goof," she scolded. "Tidus had me thinking that you lost an eye or something, and here you are. Ah, you even have some names on your cast already, I see."

Murmuring, she placed her hand to his forehead and tsked. Between him and Riku, she was definitely going to end up with some gray hairs. Maybe they'd end up being pretty like Riku's?

Sora stirred beneath her fingers, and Kairi withdrew her hand. He looked so vulnerable while he slept, although she knew that wasn't the case–after all he had been through, his heart was strong enough for all of them. She was honestly amazed that the fall he took could actually do that much damage; Sora was akin to a superhero in her eyes, someone who could never be beaten. Except by rotten flooring, anyway.

"Remember when you broke your arm before?" Kairi grinned. "You fell off a tree while racing Riku. You thought that it'd be the perfect shortcut, right? That was so long ago..."

Despite herself, she couldn't help but wonder if they could ever really go back to those days. They still joked and smiled like they always did, but there was a distance in the boys' eyes that she noticed. Kairi knew that while they were making sundaes, Sora would be awaiting the next chance he'd get to use his Keyblade. She knew that when they chose seats at the movie theater, Riku contemplated moments in his life that he'd keep locked away from his friends.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a fit of squawking from outside the room. After listening to a rant filled with obscenities, the girl figured that the King's men had finally called to check in on their friend.

"Whassat...?" a voice startled her. Sora was rubbing his eyes, staring at Kairi quizzically as if he wasn't fully awake yet. Shrugging, Kairi stood up and peeked into the living room, where an agitated Riku spoke to the images of Donald and Goofy on a screen.

"I can't wake him up," Riku sighed.

"Gawrsh, Donald," Goofy said. "If he's sleepin' then maybe we should call back at another time?"

"But we'll be busy later!" Donald fumed, his arms over his chest and glaring at Riku as if it was his fault Sora's medication was so strong.

"He just woke up," Kairi called out before walking over to Sora. Carefully, she put his arms over her shoulders and lifted him up. Together, the carefully treaded towards the others. Finally reaching the destination, Sora plopped down on the sofa and beamed at the screen.

"I was wondering when you guys would call," the brunette laughed, still somewhat groggy. "How are you?"

"We're just glad to see that you're okay," Goofy chimed, Donald nodding in agreement. After the trio began discussing Sora's clumsiness, Kairi and Riku moved towards the kitchen to give them some privacy.

Riku opened the fridge, rummaging through it in search of drinks while Kairi fidgeted at the counter. Shutting the refrigerator door, the older teen went over to her, and handed the girl a soda. "What's up?"

"Everything's the same as it always was, right?" Kairi blurted out. "I mean... like it was before. Before, you know."

He took a moment to think about it, tapping the lid of his drink and rocking on his heels. A few seconds passed, and he began to answer slowly. "No. Things won't ever be exactly the same as it once was, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We've been through a lot together, and a lot apart. Some things might be harder to say now, and we might not be able to discuss events that have happened for awhile, but..."

Kairi took a sip of her soft drink, following every word that came out of his mouth. "But?"

"We balance each other out. If one of us falls, we all fall. If one of us makes it, we all do. Because no matter what happens, you will still be you. I will still be me, and–"

"–Sora will still be a hopeless dork," she finished, giggling.

"Good thing the Organization didn't fight us in an attic or we would have been in trouble," Riku snorted.

Their chuckling was cut short by a crash, quickly followed by Sora and Donald dramatically calling out Goofy's name. Rubbing his temples, Riku muttered something under his breath and offered his free hand to the girl. "Shall we go see what the heck they're up to?"

Smiling, she took it, just like she did with Sora's so very long ago in an emptiness where the whole world had began anew. Like when Sora took Riku's before they stepped through the door to the light, to a home that was incomplete until their arrival. Like the trinity did whenever they won a battle, dancing around in celebration that they were one step closer to seeing their dear friends.

And like how she'll take their hands in the years to come, no matter what new adventure came next, neatly sealed in a bottle.


End file.
